1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a motor vehicle door handle assembly and more particularly to a locking mechanism for a motor vehicle door handle assembly which is activated by inertial forces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, motor vehicles include door handles for opening doors. A door handle may include a frame and a grip. When the grip is actuated relative to the frame of the handle, the door latch mechanism is released, and the door is opened.
It is well-known that during motor vehicle collisions, parts of the door handle or other vehicle components may accelerate and cause unwanted actuation of the grip resulting in opening of doors. This is an undesired effect as it often leads to ejection of occupants and to greater injuries.
In order to prevent vehicle doors from opening during collision, various types of mechanisms have been employed. Specifically, known are mechanisms which temporarily disengage a handle from a door latch or temporarily block the transfer of forces from a door handle to a door latch during collision.
For example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,409, known is a mechanism that includes an electrical crash sensor and a viscosity-framed crash locking unit. When the crash sensor senses collision, it electrically increases the viscosity of the medium within the crash locking unit blocking the transfer of forces from the door handle to the door latch. After collision, the viscosity of the medium is lowered, and the handle is reconnected to the door latch.
From U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,405, known is also a mechanism that includes a mechanical locking tab, a weight attached to a cable, and a spring. When a crash force is applied, the weight moves and causes displacement of the locking tab preventing a latch mechanism from releasing and opening the vehicle door. When the crash force is removed, the spring returns the locking tab to its original position, allowing for a transfer of forces between the handle and latch mechanism.
The state of the art is not fully satisfactory, however, as conventional mechanisms engage too slowly and disengage too quickly in a collision. The invention aims to remedy this situation.
The invention is framed on the technical problem of improving a motor vehicle door handle assembly in such a way that a door release system is reliably engaged as soon as possible after an collision and reliably disengaged only after collision forces have subsided.